Diaphragm control for projection printers



July 1o, 192s.

J. G. CAPSTAFF DIAPHRAGM CONTROL FOR PROJECTIQN PRINTERS z Sheets-#Sheet 1 Filed June 8 1923 .Scenel l. 90 Seelze July 1o, 192s. 1,676,600 Y J. G. CAPSTAFF DIAPHRAGM CONTROL FOR PROJECTION PRINTERS Filed June 8, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR, Jahn Anszzf mm, 44 WATTORNEYS.

Patented July 1Y0, 1 9248.

UNITED .STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN G. CAPs'rAFr, or ROCHESTER, NRW' YORK, A'ssIGNoR To RASTMAN KODAK COMPANY, oF ROCHESTER, NRW YORK, A CORPORATIONOF NEW YORK.

DIAP'HRAGM CONTROL FOR PROJECTION PRINTERS.

Application med :une s, 192s. serial Nq. 644,277. V

This invention relates to photography and more particularly to machines vfor printing motion picture film by projection. One obobject of my invention is to provide a machine in which the light is automatically controlled for each scene, so that the machine 'may run without close attention from an operatorjafter once being started. until the reproduction is made vfrom the entire length of l0 of master film. Another object is to control the light automatically by means of thelens "diaphragm adjustment. Another object is to :cause the change to automatically take place through suitable notches on the master film. Another object is to provide a diaphragm lwhich can be readily altered by an automatic` mechanism, and other objects will appear hereinafter from the following specification, being illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters denote like parts throughout:

fFig. 1 isa side elevation of a machine constructed in accordance with and illustrating one embodiment of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan View of-a length of master positive film; Y

Fig. 3 is asimilar view of a length of the diaphragm film; f

Fig. 4`i s a fragmentary detail of a part of the diaphragmfcontrol;

, Fig. 5 isla fragmentary plan view of a part of the diaphragm film-moving. mechanism; and

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of parts of the mechanism shown in Fig. 5.

The present embodiment of my invention consists of a base 1 having a fixed upright portion 2 at one end, and a table 3 at the' other end uponv which a slidable carriage 4 is mountedon 'suitable rails 5, upon which it may move. lThis movement is controlled by a rack 6 with which a worm 7 meshes, there being a hand wheel 8 for turning the worm. With this movement the distance between the gate 9 for the master film M and the gate 10 for the sensitive film F can be altered.

The film band moving mechanism does not form an important part of this invention, being shown merely to illustrate one form of my invention. The vfilm M is carried by a supply reel, 12. supported by arm 13 of carriage 4, and is drawn over sprocket 14 against which it is held by guide rollers 15.- It

lthen 'is looped and passes through guide rollers 16, past gate 9, being drawn down intermittentlyv by the claw 17'after which it passes over guide rolls 18 and tothe takeup reel 19 carried by the carriage 4. Reel 12 4is held .upon a fixed shaft 20 by a latch :21.

Reel 19 parts in the following manner: A motor 24 drives the mainishaft 25 through gears 26 and 27. 28 through which it may slide as well as turn. A key slot 29 is cut in the shaft and bevel gear 30 is keyed to the shaft so as to turn with it, but the shaft may also slide through this gear. When carriage 4 )is'moved by wheel 8 the driving relation of shaft 25 'and bevel gear 30 remains unaltered.

Bevel gear 30 drives a similar gear 31 bevel gear 33 and a pulley 34. ulley 34 drives pulley 23 by the slip belt 35 to mo've This shaft passes through a bearing which turns a stub shaft 32 carryin a second the take-up reel'19 in the usual' manner.`

Bevel gear 33 drives shaft 36 through bevel gear 37 having affixed thereto bevel gears-38 vand 39. Gear 39 through gear- 40 drives shaft 41 'and wheel 42 which actuates the pulldown claw 17. Bevel gear 38 through a similar gear 43, shaft 44 and gears 45 and 46 driveslthe'sprocket 14. The shutter 47 is also driven by suitable connections to shaft 36. While I have described the driving mechanism somewhat in detail, it is to be understood that this is not a part of my invention, as any suitable film-moving mechanism may be used. I prefer, however, to

use gears and shafts rather than sprocketsi and chains, since this increases the "accuracy of the movement of the variou parts. It is, of course, necessar to move lmsM and F in synchronism an sible. ,l

Carriage 4 also carries a lamp house 48 on table 49, preferably having adjustin -wheels 50 and 51 for the arc Carbons, an havingi may be a suital cylinder 52 in which there able condenser system.

The fixed side 2 of the machine resembles as accurately as posthe Vside just described excepting that preferably the film F is moved in an'opposite difrom this reel by sprocket 55 passing beneath rollers 56, then loopedand passing through idlers 57, through gate 10, being intermitently moved by the claw 58, after which1t -is drawn through idlers 59 to the' take-up yley 62.

reel 60 mounted on a shaft 6'1 driven by pul- Shaft 61 is mounted upon the up-v wardly extending arm 63.

Power is applied from the main drive shaft 25 as before, through bevel gears 64 and 65. Gear 64, however, is not slidable on shaft 25. Gear 65 drives shaft 66, which, through bevel gear 67 and 68,.shaft 69 and gears 70 and 71 moves sprocket 55. Shaft 66 also turns shaft 72 through bevel gears 73 and 74. Shaft 74 carries a pulley 75. driving pulley 62 through a slip belt 76, and likewise drives a wheel 77 which actuates claw 58.

It is common practice to use a master negative'film M having a series of scenes which may change very frequently on a single reel.

These scenes are of different densities as shown in Fig. 2 at 78 and 79 where a scene changes on the line 80. I preferably notch the film at or near such a density change, as at 81.

In order to provide an automatic machine which will print an entire reel withoutattention I automatically change the printing v light intensity to correspond with the different printing values of the several scenes. This I prefer to do by altering the diaphragm of lens 11 through mechanism controlled by the notch 81 in thel film. In this instance a diaphragm band D is punched with a series of openings d1, d2, ds', etc., each opening of which will stop the lens to such an aperture as may be necessary to give the correct exposure to the print from the scene on the negative. Thus for scene I the stop d1 gives a correctly timed print. For scene II Z2 does the same and so on. The first step, therefore, is to provide a diaphragm distance strip D, having openings, one for each scene, arranged in the order of the scenes.

I find old film, which has been fogged and developed to a dense black, suitable for this purpose, and I space the openings an equal on centers. Each new scene, through notch 81, automatically controls the next diaphragm opening used with Ithe objective as will now be described.

A pair of rails 82 (one behind the other) are supported fixedly at 83 by casting 2, and

are slidably supported at 84 by carriage 4. Shoes 85 are slidably wound on the rails and support a housing 86 from which arms 87 and 8 8 extend. Arm 88 supports a supply reel 89 on a fixed shaft 90 having a latch 21. Arm 87 supports a shaft 91 which may be dr1ven by pulley 92. A take-up reel 93 is held on this shaft by latch 21.- The dia- 93 over guide roller 94 through thefslot or guideway .96 in lens mount 11, between the components of the objective 200 as shown, over sprocket 97, and guide roll 95. Rollers 98 on a shoe 99 hold the film on the sprocket.

It should also be noted that shaft 25 passes directly through housing 86, and slot 100 (Fig. 5) engages a key 101 of bevel gear 102 to drive the following mechanism.

As best shown in Figs. 5 and 6, power is derived from shaft 25 through bevel gear 102 which drives a similar gear 103 pinned to stub shaft 104. This shaft is constantly turned in bearing v105 and it turns clutch block 106 which has a toothed periphery 107. A second shaft 108 is coaxial with 104 and is supported in the end of the clutch block at 108 and in bearing 109. This 'shaft has pinned to it block 110 and gear 108". This gear meshes with a similar gear 108b of the same size which is carried by a stub shaft 108 which is directly over shaft 108. Thse gears are necessary in the present instance because here. I prefer to move the film D downwardly. vIf it is to be moved in a reverse direction (as is optional) the segment 111 of the Geneva now shown as mounted 'on shaft 108 may be mounted directly on shaft 108, and the size of the Geneva parts correspondingly altered. Segment 111 which moves with gear 108 cooperates with Geneva gear 112 which is affixed to shaft 113, as also is the driving sprocket 97. Lock 110 has a flange 114 against which pawl 115 may ride, and a notch 115 which will act as a -as in Fig. 4, pin 116 will engage one of the teeth 107 and cause block 110 to be driven therewith.

Pawl 115 is an arm pivoted at 120 to casting 121, and having a tail 122 which may engage an adjustable stop pin 123 in one position, and being normally drawn from that position by a. spring 124. The tai-l 122 is slotted at 125 to receive a pin 126 carried by a yoke 127 on the solenoid core 128. This core may be drawn from dashed line position to that shown in full lines in Fig. 4, by means of the coil 129 when energized. This occurs when battery 130 furnishes power through wires 131 and 132 as switch 133 is closed. Switch bar 133 is pivoted at llO lill) is pivoted. The 'shaft 141 carrying the yokey and roller is slidably mounted in bearings 142 of plate 143.

As the roller stays in slot 81 a very short time, the circuit is only momentarily madev and is then broken.v P awl 115 is drawn by spring 124 against-flange 114 and as bloc v110turns, beveled end 120 of pawl '115 will engage pin 116 withdrawing it from the toothed periphery 107 after which the end 117 strikes stop 115', thus automatically 145 will engage a slot 146 of Geneva gear 112 turning it, and with it shaft 113 onequarter of a revolution. Sprocket 97 being pinned t0 shaft 113, turns a similar distance moving diaphragm'film D a space equal to.

the center to center distance of the apertures d. I

The film D is threaded by passing from reel 89 through the slot in lens mount l1, over sprocket 97 and down to reel 93. The idlers 98 can be withdrawn from sprocket 97 by handle 150 which may be drawn out againstthe spring 151. A door 152 of box 86 may be opened to facilitate threading.. Block 110 carries integral therewith a pulley '160 which transmits motion to pulley 92 of the take-up reel 93 by belt 161 so that motion will only, be transmitted when shaft '108 `is turned,-that is periodically between scenes. The belt may slip as is usual in take-up reel belts to allow for `the changing diameter of the reel. i

A rack 170 on the guide `rail 82 is provided, and a gear 171 meshes therewith, so that the housing and associated mechanism may be moved by handwheel 172 to focus lens 11. Grear 102 will, of course, slide along shaft 25 when the housing is moved.

To summarize briey t e operation of my machine I will give atypical printing operation when producing positive prints by projection fromr a master negative. The master negative M is threaded through gate 9 on carriage 4 with the start of scene I lat the gate. A sensitive film F is threaded through gate 10 on side 2 of the machine, and a diaphragm band D is threaded through guideway. 96 in the objective mount 11 with diaphragm d. between the lens components. By starting motor 24,'lms M and- F run through their gates while film D remains stationary until a notch 81 is reached,

corresponding to scene II at gate 9. This causes diaphragm film' to move rapidly to bring diaphragm d2. into position between the lens components in mount 11. Thus each successive scene automatically positions the proper diaphragm in the lens, thereby regulating the light automatically so that the required exposureis automatically re-` ceived by filmF.

`bviously numerous changes in con-struction of the parts necessary to alter t-he lens .diaphragm opening can be made, the drawings showing one convenient form of machine illustrating the principle of my invention. I contemplate as within the scope of my invention all such modifications and equivalents as fall within the following claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: a,

1. In a projection printer, two separated gates, mechanism forV moving a master strip and a-sensitized strip past said gate respectively in timed relation, an optical system for pro'ecting an image from theJ master strip at one gate upon the sensitized strip at the other gate, adjustable means for controlling the amount of light so projected and positionedv between the two films, and mea-ns connected to and movable in timed relation with the mechanism and controlling the adjustment of said adjustable means at defi-4 nite, adjustably predetermined, timed intervals throughout the time when the printer 'is in operation, .whereby the amount of light so projectedmay be varied at any time in accordance with a predetermined schedule.

2. In a projection printer, two separated gates, mechanism for moving a master strip and a sensitized strip-in timed relation past said gates respectively, an objective posiphragm to adjust the aperture thereof and means connected to and movable in timed relation with the irst named mechanism and controlling the operation of the second named mechanism vat definite, adjustably predetermined, timed intervals throughout the time when the printer is in operation, whereby the aperture of the diaphragm may be adjustedat any time in accordance with a selectively predetermined schedule.

3. In a projection printer, two separated gates, means for moving a master strip and a 'sensitized strip past said gates respectively, an optical system including a source of llght and a condenser for illuminating one gate uniformly and an objective for projecting an image from the master; strip at sald gate upon the sensitized strip at the other gate, and diaphragm means at the objective controllable by the master strip lfor controllingthe light thus projected.

'4. In a projection printer,'two separated` 'tioned to project an image from the master ly, an optical system comprising an objective for projecting an image from the master strip at one gate upon the sensitized strip at the other gate, diaphragm means at the objective, and means controllable by the master stripfor adjusting the eective aper ture of said diaphragm means.

5. In a projection printer, two separated gates, means for moving ay master strip and a sensitized strip in timed relation past said gates respectively, an optical system coml prising an objective for projecting an image from the master strip at one gate upon the `corresponding.: to said scenes, means for moving said master film and a sensitized film in timed relation past said gates respectively, an objective positioned to project images from said master film at one gate upon the sensitized strip at the other gate, diaphragm means at said objective, and mechanism controlled by said means on said master film adapted to vary'the effective aperture of said diaphragm means.

7. An apparatus for printing on a strip of sensitized material and comprising two separated gates, a master film comprising a strip with scenes having different printing values and having mechanism controlling means corresponding `to said scenes, means for moving said master film and a sensitized strip in timed relation past said gates respcctivel an objective positioned to project images rom said master film at one gate upon the sensitized film at the other gate, a mount for said objective having a guideway, a diaphragm strip having a series of aperturesv corresponding insize inversely to the printing value of the successive scenes on the master film and mechanismeontrolled by the means on the master film for ad vain-ing said diaphragm strip through said guideway, thereby varying the effective diaphragm aperture of the objective.

Signed at Rochester, New York, this 4th day of J une, 1923.

JOHN G. CAPSTAFF. 

